I finally got the ball rolling on my enrollment at CaƱada College today. It's a good thing too! I figured school would start sometime in September, but apparently it starts on August 19! Luckily, I've already managed to register for classes. I am still trying to set up an appointment with their Counseling Dept to figure out what of my DeAnza classes will transfer and count toward the certificate here. Since I'm not sure what will transfer, I went and signed up for the maximum number of classes I would want to take; I figured it was easier to drop than to try and add at the last minute. They're offering five of the paralegal classes in the Fall Semester and I signed up for three of them: Legal Research & Writing, Torts, and Civil Litigation & Trial Prep. (I actually took Legal Research & Writing at DeAnza, but the teacher was so awful, I don't feel like I learned much of anything and am thinking I would like to avail myself of another opportunity to practice these valuable skills.)
Anyway, if I stick with this schedule, I will be in class three nights a week, Mon, Wed & Thurs, basically from 7PM to 10PM. The end of the semester isn't until Dec 18; it's going to be a long semester... And this schedule may be a problem for dog obedience classes if we end up attending the Mountain View Deep Peninsula AKC Dog club, because they meet on Monday nights. I hope the San Mateo group finds a site soon, as they meet on Tuesday nights.
It will be good to be back in school again. It may actually cut down on my facebook goof-off time and get me back on track on the job plan.
My mother came over today and we made three more batches of jam. This time we made Peach Plum Jam, my Mom had half a flat of peaches she needed to use up. We're going to have to give some of this jam away, as we've got quite a large collection of it building up. But I'd rather give jam away than let the plums rot on the ground. =)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Fruit Season!
We're having a really productive day today. Jeff went and picked the rest of the plums off the tree in the backyard (about two lunch size ice chests) and we have the flat of apricots he bought at farmers market yesterday. We decided that today would be a good day to get through the fruit.
Yesterday, we grabbed the last of the packed canning jars out of storage and got the last of the cabinet in the garage unpacked. I had expected we would need to sell some, but they all fit. I think we're set for jars, at least until we start canning fruit slices. We mostly can jams, butters and syrups. We tend to just buy canned fruit, probably because we've never had a cheap and plentiful source of fruit (excluding blueberries, that I only like in very small quantities).
We mixed up four apricot pie fillings and put them in the freezer. Plus, Jeff is going to make up a pie this afternoon for us to enjoy this week, as a reward.
We've also worked through two batches of jam. One batch was just plum and the other we did about half plum and half apricot. That batch actually cooked much faster and looks better (less foamy), so I think that's what we'll do for the rest of the batches.
We're taking a well-deserved break for a couple of hours this afternoon and then we'll resume our canning efforts. We'll probably do another two batches today, and if there is anything left, I'll do some more tomorrow.
We've also got two small peach trees in the backyard, and they're starting to look close to being ripe. Maybe we'll have a batch of peaches for next weekend.
This morning, the last of our furniture sold on craigslist. Now we're mostly down to the vintage old stuff left from my grandmother and my Dad's stuff. I'm still trying to decide between having another garage sale and just donating it all. I guess we'll see.
Update later in the day. Jeff's Pie:
Yesterday, we grabbed the last of the packed canning jars out of storage and got the last of the cabinet in the garage unpacked. I had expected we would need to sell some, but they all fit. I think we're set for jars, at least until we start canning fruit slices. We mostly can jams, butters and syrups. We tend to just buy canned fruit, probably because we've never had a cheap and plentiful source of fruit (excluding blueberries, that I only like in very small quantities).
We mixed up four apricot pie fillings and put them in the freezer. Plus, Jeff is going to make up a pie this afternoon for us to enjoy this week, as a reward.
We've also worked through two batches of jam. One batch was just plum and the other we did about half plum and half apricot. That batch actually cooked much faster and looks better (less foamy), so I think that's what we'll do for the rest of the batches.We're taking a well-deserved break for a couple of hours this afternoon and then we'll resume our canning efforts. We'll probably do another two batches today, and if there is anything left, I'll do some more tomorrow.
We've also got two small peach trees in the backyard, and they're starting to look close to being ripe. Maybe we'll have a batch of peaches for next weekend.
This morning, the last of our furniture sold on craigslist. Now we're mostly down to the vintage old stuff left from my grandmother and my Dad's stuff. I'm still trying to decide between having another garage sale and just donating it all. I guess we'll see.
Update later in the day. Jeff's Pie:
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Made a LONG To-Do List
I've had a really unproductive week, it think because as I look around the house I just get overwhelmed by the mess and boxes. So, yesterday, I finally just sat down and started making a list. I don't know why it took me so long; I'm usually good about lists but I've been in sort of random mode for the last month or so. I think the list is really going to help. I'm only putting one big thing on any given day so we can get our big project out of the way in an hour or two and then we can either goof off the rest of the day knowing we accomplished our plan, or keep working on the little stuff.
This morning we've already accomplished the big thing. We have a very expensive rug we bought in Oregon that was in our dining room. I don't particularly want to liquidate it on craigslist yet, so we have to keep it somewhere safe. I wasn't comfortable putting it in storage (due to weather concerns), but we found a clever spot in the tiny bedroom. There is a corner behind the bookcases that was empty, and the rug fit just right in there. We had to re-roll the rug, because the movers rolled it crooked and then we had to unload the bookcase and move it out enough to tuck the rug back there, and then we put the books back in the bookcase. And while we were at it we unpacked a couple more boxes of books.
Yesterday I also figured out the plan for finishing the master bedroom closet. This is an old house and the closet isn't a "standard" size, so I need to do some sort of custom organizer. (Most standard closet systems are designed for closets that are two feet deep, this one is more than three feet deep.) I came up with an easy plan, and I don't think it will cost us very much. The main difference between our plan and DIY closets is that our shelving is going to be 20" deep and standard shelving is more like 12" deep; I don't want to waste that much space. I have already ordered the metal rods and sockets, as well as a couple closet accessories, i.e. sliding tie rack and belt hooks. I also found a shoe rack that should fit the back of the door. This will really help to ease the congestion in the master bedroom.Anyway, I'm trying to find someone who will build the closet organizer for us, but if I cannot find someone who will do it for less than $200, then we'll go ahead and give it a try ourselves. I've emailed a local handyman for a quote, or hopefully Brian (the guy who did our master bedroom) will be available soon.
On Tuesday we finally are getting our new dressers delivered. I'm really looking forward to that. We should finally be able to unpack almost all of the boxes in the master bedroom. And anything we don't unpack on Tuesday, we'll probably just take to storage.
The last two days were great for craigslist. Yesterday someone came and bought our 100+ boxes we had leftover from the move. I bought way too many and I was going to store them for the next move, but then I decided to try and sell them for around what we paid. We did take a loss by the time you consider sales tax and delivery, but at least we don't have to hassle with them now. And this morning someone came and bought the cherry desk, chair and printer stand. We did take a considerable loss on that one, but at least it is finally out of the garage. I was getting ready to donate the set if it didn't sell this week.
I really wish I had taken a "before" picture. Now my Dad can finally get his antique car out of the garage! There was a mountain of furniture behind the car, blocking it in. Some of it went to storage, the rest has been sold.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
More Shopping
I had a "duh" kind of moment a couple nights ago. We have been using a futon in the living room "temporarily" until I found couches that were in a more suitable color. I've been surfing on craigslist for weeks now and cannot seem to find something to my liking that is near enough to risk the trip to see them. I've had two disappointing visits to look at couches as they just weren't the colors they looked like on craigslist. Colors don't photograph well, I guess. Well, last night it occurred to me I could just buy a new cover for our futon and skip buying a couch for now. We do still want a loveseat, eventually, (for when we have company) so we may ultimately end up replacing the futon later on. But this way I won't feel rushed to find something.
Jeff went this morning and picked up our new Highlander (he took CalTrain to the nearby station and walked to the dealership from there); lucky him. I still haven't ridden in it, as he just continued on to work. He says its nice. We'll add pictures to the blog tonight, once he brings the camera home.
We've had an uneventful week this week. Dog Obedience class Tuesday night. Barony of Westermark SCA meeting last night. Unfortunately, I've been particularly unproductive this week during the days. I've sold a couple of things from craigslist, but for the most part our ads are just expiring without inquiry. I'll probably end up donating most of it which is also fine.
Yesterday, I had a binge at Fabric.com. I decided I needed a few more yards of the kitchen fabric when I realized I hadn't made them full enough in my plan so I needed to buy another 4 yards or so. Well, I bought quite a lot of fabric when I discovered they had about six different batiks for $4/yard. I bought 16 yards of purple to use for a backing for my yellow and purple lightning quilt I have in progress. It's actually a really nice scrappy quilt that Jeff designed with lightning bolts and pin wheels.
(Karen, do you have any ideas for quilting it? I'll be happy to send it off to you for quilting, if you're inspired. It's King Size, or will be when it's done later this year.)
Tonight, we're taking delivery of a quarter of a grass-fed cow from a way-not-local ranch. We're paying about $6/pound where WholeFoods charges $12/pound so I figured it was worth trying it this way despite the inconvenience of having your freezer full of meat. It's apparently about 100# of beef, so I think that will be our meat of choice for the next several months. I think we should figure out how to replace our BBQ we gave away last fall. Not sure if we'll buy used, or if we'll buy some cheapy one to last us the couple more years we're likely stuck here.
Jeff went this morning and picked up our new Highlander (he took CalTrain to the nearby station and walked to the dealership from there); lucky him. I still haven't ridden in it, as he just continued on to work. He says its nice. We'll add pictures to the blog tonight, once he brings the camera home.
We've had an uneventful week this week. Dog Obedience class Tuesday night. Barony of Westermark SCA meeting last night. Unfortunately, I've been particularly unproductive this week during the days. I've sold a couple of things from craigslist, but for the most part our ads are just expiring without inquiry. I'll probably end up donating most of it which is also fine.
Yesterday, I had a binge at Fabric.com. I decided I needed a few more yards of the kitchen fabric when I realized I hadn't made them full enough in my plan so I needed to buy another 4 yards or so. Well, I bought quite a lot of fabric when I discovered they had about six different batiks for $4/yard. I bought 16 yards of purple to use for a backing for my yellow and purple lightning quilt I have in progress. It's actually a really nice scrappy quilt that Jeff designed with lightning bolts and pin wheels.
(Karen, do you have any ideas for quilting it? I'll be happy to send it off to you for quilting, if you're inspired. It's King Size, or will be when it's done later this year.)
Tonight, we're taking delivery of a quarter of a grass-fed cow from a way-not-local ranch. We're paying about $6/pound where WholeFoods charges $12/pound so I figured it was worth trying it this way despite the inconvenience of having your freezer full of meat. It's apparently about 100# of beef, so I think that will be our meat of choice for the next several months. I think we should figure out how to replace our BBQ we gave away last fall. Not sure if we'll buy used, or if we'll buy some cheapy one to last us the couple more years we're likely stuck here.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Bought a New Car
Well, we bought a new 2009 Highlander Hybrid tonight. The Sunnyvale Toyota dealer had a vehicle that had the options we wanted (which were few). Though, at one point the sale was in doubt, as their price was $300 over what I had understood to have been quoted over the phone, but after we left, the manager changed his mind and gave it to us at our price. They're still making a bundle by the time you add up all the bogus extra charges they tuck into the invoice to pad it, like the holdback and the TDA (Toyota Dealer Advertising Fee). And what the heck is a Wholesale Financial Reserve? It looks to me like they padded their invoice by over $1600 in these bogus fees. Next time I need to remind myself to skip buying the new vehicle and buy one a few years old. =)
Anyway, though we paid for the vehicle tonight, we didn't drive it home. Since we were just going to have to bring it back for after-market installations tomorrow (or the next day) we decided to take delivery after they got everything installed. The only things we bought from the dealer was the cargo net and the iPod interface. We'll get the rest of the options elsewhere; the dealer has such outrageous prices. We'll probably still go and buy a navigation system and a few of the cosmetic things, like mud flaps, etc. from auto supply places.
Anyway, though we paid for the vehicle tonight, we didn't drive it home. Since we were just going to have to bring it back for after-market installations tomorrow (or the next day) we decided to take delivery after they got everything installed. The only things we bought from the dealer was the cargo net and the iPod interface. We'll get the rest of the options elsewhere; the dealer has such outrageous prices. We'll probably still go and buy a navigation system and a few of the cosmetic things, like mud flaps, etc. from auto supply places.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Lovely Weekend
Yesterday we enjoyed a barbeque at my father's house in Santa Clara. (Thanks Dad!) My brother, James also showed up with his family and Shasta had another evening of playing with Lizzie. Then we wandered over to the nearby grass field and watched the local fireworks display. Shasta did pretty well for her first scary fireworks event.
Jeff has worked most of the weekend, excluding dinner yesterday. He worked yesterday afternoon and then headed to work this morning at 6AM and still isn't home. So much for my plans to take a load of debris to the dumps. Oh well, maybe next weekend.
Today, I've been trying to finish up the sewing room Roman shades. I've gotten them to the point of sewing on the rings and I'm having a hard time staying on task. I keep getting distracted with my laptop.
I think that we're going to order the Toyota tomorrow. We located one in Sunnyvale and Jeff dropped by and checked out the amethyst. The color is subtle and changes, depending on the light and angle. But it's probably good enough; I think we'll go for it.
After dinner yesterday, the family walked over to check out a 1912 Craftsman house about 3 blocks away that's been for sale for about 10 months. I've been watching it since last September or so. Back at that time it was $1.15M, now it's down to $750K. When it had the latest price drop I was really tempted, right up until I checked out the inspection reports which revealed to me that it was a money pit (it needed $150K of foundation work, just for a start). Oh well. After the visit yesterday, though, I continued to dream about the possibilities, but, today I see that it went pending, so I guess that's out as an option.
Even though I'm not seriously looking at houses right now, (really, I'm not) I usually check out what's available in Portland and Corvallis every couple of weeks. The kind of house I'm looking for is very specific (early 1900s Bungalow with the original unpainted woodwork on an oversize lot) and I don't think they're easily available so I keep watching for good houses to hit the market. On Thursday, I found another beauty in Portland, but it's surely overpriced. I think if it were closer in to downtown, they'd be able to get their price. But, according to my quick research, its neighborhood is loaded with much cheaper large houses and a ton of foreclosures. I think they'll have a problem getting their $679K asking price. But I'll keep watching it. If the price comes down to around $500K, then I'll probably get real interested. =)
Jeff has worked most of the weekend, excluding dinner yesterday. He worked yesterday afternoon and then headed to work this morning at 6AM and still isn't home. So much for my plans to take a load of debris to the dumps. Oh well, maybe next weekend.
Today, I've been trying to finish up the sewing room Roman shades. I've gotten them to the point of sewing on the rings and I'm having a hard time staying on task. I keep getting distracted with my laptop.
I think that we're going to order the Toyota tomorrow. We located one in Sunnyvale and Jeff dropped by and checked out the amethyst. The color is subtle and changes, depending on the light and angle. But it's probably good enough; I think we'll go for it.
After dinner yesterday, the family walked over to check out a 1912 Craftsman house about 3 blocks away that's been for sale for about 10 months. I've been watching it since last September or so. Back at that time it was $1.15M, now it's down to $750K. When it had the latest price drop I was really tempted, right up until I checked out the inspection reports which revealed to me that it was a money pit (it needed $150K of foundation work, just for a start). Oh well. After the visit yesterday, though, I continued to dream about the possibilities, but, today I see that it went pending, so I guess that's out as an option.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Test Drove the Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Jeff had the day off and we went shopping today.
We started at Best Buy and found that they had the TV we were considering. But when it was time to choose the tuner and speakers, Jeff decided he wanted to do a bit more research and see what was best. So, we didn't actually buy anything yet, but we're getting close to our final list of purchases.
We also went to the Redwood City Toyota dealership. Jeff got an opportunity to test drive the 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. We need to buy a vehicle to replace our little purple 1996 Ford Ranger that will tow our trailer and we would prefer to buy a hybrid electric, so it looks as though it's going to be the Toyota. Unfortunately, they are already making noises like it's the end of the model year and they cannot get the trucks, yada, yada, yada. I don't know how we always manage to need to buy a new vehicle at the break between model years. Anyway, it looks like we'll be ordering one through the Costco Car Buying Program.
Toyota offers a color called "Iced Amethyst Mica" and I would like to see it before we order. But they don't seem to be able to find one at any lots closer than 70 miles; how sad is that? I'd like to actually see the color because some of the photos I've seen online make it look really gray, this one from the Toyota site makes it look sort of lavendar. We'll probably order the amethyst, but if it's too gray, we'll order the Cypress Pearl (green) instead.
Jeff still has some work he has to do over the weekend, so I expect he'll spend a few hours working tonight and then tomorrow for a few hours. Since we have a BBQ at my father's place at 5PM, I'm trying to find someplace I can crash in the south bay while he goes into Apple. Maybe I'll end up taking Shasta to the dog park down there.
I received the package of Roman shade hardware today, the plastic ribs, so now I can finally finish the Roman shades in the sewing room. I'm hoping to do that on Sunday.
We started at Best Buy and found that they had the TV we were considering. But when it was time to choose the tuner and speakers, Jeff decided he wanted to do a bit more research and see what was best. So, we didn't actually buy anything yet, but we're getting close to our final list of purchases.
We also went to the Redwood City Toyota dealership. Jeff got an opportunity to test drive the 2009 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. We need to buy a vehicle to replace our little purple 1996 Ford Ranger that will tow our trailer and we would prefer to buy a hybrid electric, so it looks as though it's going to be the Toyota. Unfortunately, they are already making noises like it's the end of the model year and they cannot get the trucks, yada, yada, yada. I don't know how we always manage to need to buy a new vehicle at the break between model years. Anyway, it looks like we'll be ordering one through the Costco Car Buying Program.
Toyota offers a color called "Iced Amethyst Mica" and I would like to see it before we order. But they don't seem to be able to find one at any lots closer than 70 miles; how sad is that? I'd like to actually see the color because some of the photos I've seen online make it look really gray, this one from the Toyota site makes it look sort of lavendar. We'll probably order the amethyst, but if it's too gray, we'll order the Cypress Pearl (green) instead.
Jeff still has some work he has to do over the weekend, so I expect he'll spend a few hours working tonight and then tomorrow for a few hours. Since we have a BBQ at my father's place at 5PM, I'm trying to find someplace I can crash in the south bay while he goes into Apple. Maybe I'll end up taking Shasta to the dog park down there.
I received the package of Roman shade hardware today, the plastic ribs, so now I can finally finish the Roman shades in the sewing room. I'm hoping to do that on Sunday.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)